Gas Leak Hero
Location: Skokie, Illinois Date: November 6, 1988 Story On November 6, 1988 in Skokie, Illinois, Bob and Magda Brown were in their basement doing their chores when Bob complained of cold air inside the house. He and Magda went downstairs and lit the furnace going through several matches before the pilot light ignited. Magda went upstairs to cook lunch before the first signs of trouble were detected. A few minutes later Magda called out to Bob to come upstairs complaining of rapid heartbeat, rapid pulse, and a severe headache. He placed her on the bed and checked her pulse. She complained that there was gas coming out of the vent and she could smell it. Bob said he did not smell gas, headed to the phone, and went through the whole phone book calling anyone he could think of for help. First, he called their daughter, Rochelle, but she wasn't home. Then he called the family doctor but he wasn't in his office. Finally he called Bill Kruger and Steve Jones at Northern Illinois Gas reporting a gas leak. Bill hopped in his truck and headed to their house. Following procedure Bill went to the back door first but got no answer. Next, he headed to the front and got no answer there either, but he saw a car in the driveway and the lights on inside. Realizing that something was wrong, he called Steve and told him to give Bob a call. He did so but no one answered. Bill went next door to talk to the Browns' neighbor, Wilson Acona. Wilson gave them a call and again no one answered. By this time the house was filled with gas and they were officially out. Bill got out his gas meter and checked the door frame. It read back 200 parts per million, which is lethal. He called Steve informing him that he was going inside to find out what was wrong and scramble EMS immediately. Steve gave him the go-ahead and then he called 911. Dispatcher Mark Klinghoffer, who knew the Browns, took the call at 3:35pm. He was very worried as he dispatched the ambulance and fire truck because he knew that something was wrong. He said he has known them for 20 years and the last thing he wanted to do was send EMS to their house. Bill met the rescuers outside and told them that he picked up 200 parts per million of CO2 inside the house. The fire department broke down the door, installed ventilation fans, and searched all the rooms. Bob was found on the bed and Magda was found in the bathroom right next to the toilet with impaired vision and judgment. They were taken outside to the ambulance and hooked up to oxygen tanks to flush the CO2 out of their systems. Bob regained consciousness, asked where Magda was, and the rescuers told him what happened. Bill raced downstairs and extinguished the furnace. He then headed outside and turned off the gas. The cause of the accident was traced to a faulty pilot light which was improperly burning the fuel causing carbon monoxide fumes to be pumped into the room. The Browns were then transported to Lutheran General Hospital in downtown Chicago for treatment and spent a week in the hyperbaric chamber to purge their bodies of CO2. Rochelle visited them every day. A year later, the Browns got better acquainted with Bill and they became close friends. Category:1988 Category:Illinois Category:Gas Leaks Category:Poisonings